Chrysanthemum plant named Soft Lynn

ABSTRACT

A Chrysanthemum plant named Soft Lynn particularly characterized by its flat capitulum form; decorative capitulum type; soft red-purple ray floret color with darker red-purple center of the flower; diameter across face of capitulum of 51 to 60 mm when fully opened; branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 7 to 9 breaks after pinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and 6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for spring flowerings; natural season flower date of August 23 to 30 when planting rooted cuttings on June 21 to June 23 in Salinas, Calif., and of September 15 to 17 when planting rooted cuttings June 11 to June 14 in Hightstown, N.J.; flowering response of 45 to 47 days after rooting in no light/no shade programs in spring; plant height of 20 to 23 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength in California, and 19 to 21 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in spring with no applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP; and durable, uniform performance.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora, andreferred to by the cultivar name Soft Lynn.

Soft Lynn, identified as 8204 (88-264N01), is a product of a mutationinduction program. The new cultivar was discovered and selected by LeonGlicenstein on Jul. 8, 1991, in a controlled environment in Salinas,Calif. as one flowering plant within a flowering block established asrooted cuttings from stock plants which had been exposed as unrootedcuttings to an X-ray source of 1500 rads in Fort Myers, Fla. on Apr. 3,1991. The irradiated parent cultivar was the cultivar identified asLynn, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,171, and described as a gardenmum with a flat decorative flower; light purple ray floret color with adistinct darker red-purple center of the flower; diameter across face ofcapitulum of 51 to 60 mm when fully opened; spreading and prolificbranching pattern, with 7 to 9 breaks after pinch when grown outsideunder natural daylength in fall flowerings, and 6 to 8 breaks afterpinch when grown in 10 cm pots for spring flowerings; natural seasonflowering date of August 25 to September 5 when planting rooted cuttingsJune 21 to 23 in Salinas, Calif., and September 26 to October 10 whenplanting rooted cuttings June 11 to June 18 in Hightstown, N.J.;flowering response of 45 to 50 days after rooting in no light/no shadeprograms in spring; plant height of 25 to 33 cm when grown in fall undernatural daylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, 20 to 28 cmwhen grown in fall under natural daylength with no growth regulators inCalifornia, and 13 to 20 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in spring with 0 to1 applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP. The ranges of measurements for Lynngiven here are somewhat wider than the measurements described in theplant patent for Lynn. This is based on continuing flowering trials ofLynn after filing the plant patent application for Lynn.

The irradiation program resulting in Soft Lynn had as its primaryobjective the expansion of color ranges of the parent cultivar Lynn. Theirradiation program comprised irradiating cuttings of the parentcultivar at irradiation levels of 1500, 1750 and 2000 rads. A total of1140 cuttings harvested from a total of 225 irradiated plants wereplanted on May 13 and 6, 1991, respectively. Of these, 28 initialselections were made, which selections were then revegetated andreflowered. Three consecutive flowerings resulted in discarding 23 ofthe original 28 selections on Mar. 9, 1992. Nine reselections were made,which reselections were ultimately discarded on Nov. 10, 1992. Theremaining five selections were maintained as PIs (PossibleIntroductions) and further trialed in Salinas, Calif., Hightstown, N.J.and Leamington, Ontario, Canada, ultimately resulting in the decision todiscard one of these codes on May 29, 1992 and to introduce the fourremaining selections as Soft Lynn, Radiant Lynn, Royal Lynn and PeachyLynn. The last three cultivars are disclosed in pending plant patentapplication Ser. Nos. 08/143,153, 08/143,152, and 08/142,940,respectively.

The first act of asexual reproduction of Soft Lynn was accomplished whenvegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in September1991 in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., by techniciansworking under supervision of Leon Glicenstein.

Horticultural examination of controlled flowerings of successiveplantings has shown that the unique combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for Soft Lynn are firmly fixed and are retained throughsuccessive generations of asexual reproduction.

Soft Lynn has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength, without,however, any variation in genotype.

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsgrown in controlled open areas in Salinas, Calif., and in Hightstown,N.J. Rooted cuttings were established in soil and maintained outdoorsunder the natural temperature and daylength prevailing during Junethrough October. Spring flowerings were conducted in Salinas, Calif.under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial greenhouse practice for small pot spring garden mumproduction.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of Soft Lynn, which, in combination,distinguish this Chrysanthemum as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Decorative capitulum type.

3. Soft red-purple ray floret color with darker red-purple center of theflower.

4. Diameter across face of capitulum of 51 to 60 mm when fully opened.

5. Branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 7 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

6. Natural season flower date of August 23 to 30 when planting rootedcuttings on June 21 to 23 in Salinas, Calif., and of September 15 to 17when planting rooted cuttings June 11 to 14 in Hightstown, N.J.

7. Flowering response of 45 to 47 days after rooting into no light/noshade programs in spring.

8. Plant height of 20 to 23 cm when grown in fall under naturaldaylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm whengrown in fall under natural daylength in California, and 19 to 21 cmwhen grown in 10 cm pots in spring with no applications of 2500 ppm B-9SP.

9. Durable, uniform performance.

The accompanying photographic drawing is a color photograph of Soft Lynngrown as a pinched garden mum under natural season outside conditions inSalinas, Calif., with the colors being as nearly true as possible withillustrations of this type. Plants were grown outside and dug andtransplanted into 15 cm bulb pans at flowering time for photographypurposes.

Of the commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similar incomparison to Soft Lynn is the parent cultivar Lynn. In the abovedescription of Soft Lynn the ranges of values for Soft Lynn are muchnarrower than the ranges of values given for Lynn. This is based on thefact that Lynn was flowered over many years, while Soft Lynn wasflowered over a period of only one and a half years. All traits of SoftLynn are similar to those of Lynn, except for the ray floret color, theflowering response under natural season flowering conditions, and theplant height. The ray floret color of Soft Lynn is a soft red-purplewith darker red-purple center of the flower, while the ray floret colorof Lynn is light purple with a darker purple center of the flower. Undernatural season outdoor flowering conditions in New Jersey, Soft Lynnflowers 6 to 12 days earlier than Lynn, with an overall shorter andsmaller plant by 3 to 5 cm in height. Under natural season outdoorconditions in Salinas, Soft Lynn flowers 3 to 4 days earlier than Lynn,with 3 to 5 cm shorter plant height. Soft Lynn is also readilydistinguished from the afore-mentioned sibling cultivars at least in rayfloret coloration, flowering response, and in plant height as describedabove.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determined onplant material grown as a pinched garden mum grown under natural seasonoutside conditions in Salinas, Calif. on Aug. 24, 1993.

Classification:

Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv Soft Lynn.

Commercial.--Flat decorative spray pot mum and garden mum.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Flat.

Type.--Decorative.

Diameter across face.--51 to 60 mm when fully opened.

B. Corolla of ray florets:

Color (general tonality from a distance of three meters).--Softred-purple ray floret color with darker red-purple center of the flower.

Color (upper surface).--Fully mature outer petals 69B. Center of theflower strongly overlaid with 70C.

Color (under surface).--Closest to 75D.

Shape.--Cross section of young ray florets concave, longitudinal sectionof outer ray florets convex.

C. Corolla of disc florets:

Color (mature).--9A.

Color (immature).--144C.

D. Reproductive organs

Androecium.--Present on disc florets only; very few, no pollen.

Gynoecium.--Present on both ray and disc florets.

PLANT

A. General appearance:

Height.--20 to 23 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with nogrowth regulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in fall undernatural daylength in California, and 19 to 21 cm when grown in 10 cmpots in spring with no applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP.

Branching pattern.--Spreading and prolific, with 7 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

B. Foliage:

Color (upper surface).--147A.

Color (under surface).--147B.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named Soft Lynn, asdescribed and illustrated.